Betsided

NHL Best Bets Today (Bet on Bruins Dominant Defense)

By Iain MacMillan

Dec 3, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) gets set for a
Dec 3, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) gets set for a / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
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It's a new week, which means we can put away yesterday's disappointing 1-2 performance and focus on a brand new slate.

Hey, at least we didn't suffer a reverse sweep.

We have six games to choose from tonight, but the downside is that the majority of them are lopsided, which is going to make wagering on them slightly more difficult. But, that's okay. There are still plenty of ways we can make some money.

Here are my top three bets for tonight's slate.

NHL Best Bets Record-to-Date

NHL Best Bets Today (Monday, December 5)

  • Rangers -165 vs. Blues
  • Golden Knights/Bruins UNDER 6 (-105)
  • Flames -1.5 (-120) vs. Coyotes

Rangers -165 vs. Blues

I don't think the St. Louis Blues are as good of a hockey team as people think. Over their last 10 games, they rank 29th in the NHL in CORSI%, 28th in expected goals per game, and 26th in expected goals against per game. The Rangers rank 11th, 9th, and 20th in those respective categories.

The Blues have allowed their sharp shooting to mask a lot of their issues in previus seasons, but now they rank only 22nd in that category, which is exposing a lot of their underlying issues.

I'll back the Rangers as -165 favorites at home.

Golden Knights/Bruins UNDER 6 (-105)

The Bruins have once again become the most dominant defensive team in the NHL. You can back them to beat the Golden Knight tonight, but I think the moneyline odds are set at a fair price so I'm going to bet on the UNDER instead.

Over the last 10 games, the Bruins rank first in expected goals against per 60 minutes at 2.48. The Golden Knights have been solid defensively this year as well, at least better than what we've seen from them over the past couple of years. They rank 12th in expected goals against per game.

Over the same time frame, Boston also leads the NHL in save percentage at 93.79%.

I expect a defensive battle in tonight's interconference showdown.

Flames -1.5 (-120) vs. Coyotes

I continue to try to fade the Coyotes to no avail, but something has to give.

The Flames are finally playing some good hockey, ranking fifth in the league in CORSI% over their last 10 games, while the Coyotes are dead last in that category by 2.97%. Arizona's expected goals for per game over the same stretch is 2.23 and their expected goals against is 3.53.

It's time for them to stop defying the analytics. I'm going to fade them against a much better Flames team again tonight.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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